Ndamukong Suh was not the only high-priced member of the Detroit Lions who agreed to restructure his contract last week to help the team free up some room under the salary cap.

Suh's renegotiated deal created $7.68 million in cap space. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, wide receiver Calvin Johnson agreed to a minor tweak in his contract that has created nearly $3.5 million in cap space for the Lions in 2013.

Johnson was scheduled to earn $25 million in cash compensation this season, including a $5 million base salary and a $20 million option bonus, and he will still earn that much money as the renegotiation took place after the Lions had already picked up the option bonus.

Instead, and as "Shutdown Corner" suggested would happen in our "TPS Report" series, the Lions dropped Johnson's base salary down to $715,000, the league minimum for a player with six accrued seasons, and converted the remaining $4.285 million into a signing bonus that will be prorated over the next five seasons. The renegotiation lowers Johnson's 2013 cap number from $12.201 million to $8.773 million, a savings of $3.428 million in 2013, more than enough to absorb the Johnson-approved signing of free agent running back Reggie Bush, who has a $2 million cap number in 2013.

The downside of any restructured contract is that it will increase a player's cap charge in the future years of the contract and Johnson's cap numbers in 2014-17 will now increase by $857,000 annually. Moving forward, Johnson has cap numbers of $13.058 million (2014), $20.558 million (2015), $24.008 million (2016), $21.357 million (2017), $17 million in 2018 and $18.25 million in 2019.

March 18th, 2013, 5:32 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: CJ restructured also.

Awesome...

Keep kickin' that can Mayhew... IMO these moves are going to get him fired. This team isn't being managed, it's being mortgaged...

March 18th, 2013, 6:58 pm

regularjoe12

Off. Coordinator – Joe Lombardi

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4180Location: Davison Mi

Re: CJ restructured also.

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Awesome...

Keep kickin' that can Mayhew... IMO these moves are going to get him fired. This team isn't being managed, it's being mortgaged...

Because he added a 1 mil a year cap hit to the rest of Calvin's contract? That's a bit extreme...

_________________2013 Lionbacker Fantasy Football Champion

March 18th, 2013, 7:00 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: CJ restructured also.

regularjoe12 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Awesome...

Keep kickin' that can Mayhew... IMO these moves are going to get him fired. This team isn't being managed, it's being mortgaged...

Because he added a 1 mil a year cap hit to the rest of Calvin's contract? That's a bit extreme...

Where did you see that I said that?

March 18th, 2013, 7:04 pm

regularjoe12

Off. Coordinator – Joe Lombardi

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4180Location: Davison Mi

Re: CJ restructured also.

wjb21ndtown wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Awesome...

Keep kickin' that can Mayhew... IMO these moves are going to get him fired. This team isn't being managed, it's being mortgaged...

Because he added a 1 mil a year cap hit to the rest of Calvin's contract? That's a bit extreme...

Where did you see that I said that?

You didn't. But that's all he added to Calvin bottom line numbers on his contract. So while you didn't say the words....it's certainly indicated since you posted that in this thread.

Edit, I stand corrected...not even a million a year. By Mayew readjusting cj's contract this year so we can afford either a tackle or an end, he is going to cost us a bench players worth of salary for the next 5 years...that low down son of a gun!

_________________2013 Lionbacker Fantasy Football Champion

March 18th, 2013, 7:10 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: CJ restructured also.

regularjoe12 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Awesome...

Keep kickin' that can Mayhew... IMO these moves are going to get him fired. This team isn't being managed, it's being mortgaged...

Because he added a 1 mil a year cap hit to the rest of Calvin's contract? That's a bit extreme...

Where did you see that I said that?

You didn't. But that's all he added to Calvin bottom line numbers on his contract. So while you didn't say the words....it's certainly indicated since you posted that in this thread.

Edit, I stand corrected...not even a million a year. By Mayew readjusting cj's contract this year so we can afford either a tackle or an end, he is going to cost us a bench players worth of salary for the next 5 years...that low down son of a gun!

RJ - It's not the one move, it's the multiple restructures that are going to get him (and the team) into trouble. We've mortgaged our future so much, I can't see how this team can be successful in the next year or two...

Keep kickin' that can Mayhew... IMO these moves are going to get him fired. This team isn't being managed, it's being mortgaged...

Because he added a 1 mil a year cap hit to the rest of Calvin's contract? That's a bit extreme...

Where did you see that I said that?

You didn't. But that's all he added to Calvin bottom line numbers on his contract. So while you didn't say the words....it's certainly indicated since you posted that in this thread.

Edit, I stand corrected...not even a million a year. By Mayew readjusting cj's contract this year so we can afford either a tackle or an end, he is going to cost us a bench players worth of salary for the next 5 years...that low down son of a gun!

RJ - It's not the one move, it's the multiple restructures that are going to get him (and the team) into trouble. We've mortgaged our future so much, I can't see how this team can be successful in the next year or two...

wjb - you know darn well in 2015 the new TV contracts make this a complete non issue. Every single GM in the League, except for the GM's of teams that wouldn't spend anything on players until they had to, does the same thing. You hammering Mayhew for something every GM does just looks bad.

March 18th, 2013, 7:54 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: CJ restructured also.

BillySims wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Awesome...

Keep kickin' that can Mayhew... IMO these moves are going to get him fired. This team isn't being managed, it's being mortgaged...

Because he added a 1 mil a year cap hit to the rest of Calvin's contract? That's a bit extreme...

Where did you see that I said that?

You didn't. But that's all he added to Calvin bottom line numbers on his contract. So while you didn't say the words....it's certainly indicated since you posted that in this thread.

Edit, I stand corrected...not even a million a year. By Mayew readjusting cj's contract this year so we can afford either a tackle or an end, he is going to cost us a bench players worth of salary for the next 5 years...that low down son of a gun!

RJ - It's not the one move, it's the multiple restructures that are going to get him (and the team) into trouble. We've mortgaged our future so much, I can't see how this team can be successful in the next year or two...

wjb - you know darn well in 2015 the new TV contracts make this a complete non issue. Every single GM in the League, except for the GM's of teams that wouldn't spend anything on players until they had to, does the same thing. You hammering Mayhew for something every GM does just looks bad.

Bullsh!t... There is no team in the NFL that is in as bad of shape as we are that restructures as many players as we do.

Further, I'd love to see the #s, I bet we "restructure" more than any other team in the NFL over the last 2-3 years.

Billy, look at what other teams do. Other teams re-strucutre to fit that "one final player" to make a SB run onto the team. We're 3-4 players away, and we're STILL restructuring. How many teams "restructure" while they're "rebuilding"!?!?!? We're in cap hell and we're a 6-10 team... That's horrible.

Bullsh!t... There is no team in the NFL that is in as bad of shape as we are that restructures as many players as we do.

Further, I'd love to see the #s, I bet we "restructure" more than any other team in the NFL over the last 2-3 years.

Billy, look at what other teams do. Other teams re-strucutre to fit that "one final player" to make a SB run onto the team. We're 3-4 players away, and we're STILL restructuring. How many teams "restructure" while they're "rebuilding"!?!?!? We're in cap hell and we're a 6-10 team... That's horrible.

Have you had your eyes closed this off season? Have you not seen the Steelers and Cowboys restructure half their teams and basically cut the other half? ( only a slight embellishment ).

I guarantee you there has been at minimum, 50 restructures this off season. The Lions have only done 2.

edited to add: I am not counting Nate and Raiola. They were pay cuts not restructures.

March 18th, 2013, 8:18 pm

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Defense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2822

Re: CJ restructured also.

The amount I saw was $800,000 per year re: cap hit. Tempest in a teapot.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

March 18th, 2013, 8:43 pm

inheritedlionsfan

League MVP

Joined: January 13th, 2006, 4:18 amPosts: 3632Location: Maryland

Re: CJ restructured also.

My question is, who are we trying to sign with this move?

March 19th, 2013, 12:49 am

Hystrix

National Champion

Joined: August 13th, 2006, 11:04 pmPosts: 894Location: Colorado

Re: CJ restructured also.

inheritedlionsfan wrote:

My question is, who are we trying to sign with this move?

Our 2013 draft picks, maybe?

March 19th, 2013, 8:49 am

WarEr4Christ

QB Coach

Joined: October 26th, 2005, 11:48 pmPosts: 3056Location: Elkhart, In.

Re: CJ restructured also.

Wait a minute, here's a guy who absolutely DID NOT have to do anything, but DID and he's still catching flak? SERIOUSLY? Come on man!

This is what's so disgusting about the whole deal. Guys are willing to adjust their payroll for the TEAM, and we are still grumbling and complaining.

I guess we just need to field a bunch of high schoolers for 50k a year/ per player, we'll have all the cap room we can stomach, Mayhew will look like a financial genius, and we'll still have a team that plays like crap. Detroit will maintain it's current image, the fans will wear bags on their heads, but at least the whining will stop! Right.... who am I trying to kid, it will start all over again concerning how bad the team plays, yadda yadda yadda

_________________Acts 4:13, 1 Cor. 2:1-5, Rom. 12:1-2

March 19th, 2013, 8:51 am

aManNamedSuh

National Champion

Joined: July 14th, 2005, 11:58 amPosts: 865

Re: CJ restructured also.

BillySims wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Awesome...

Keep kickin' that can Mayhew... IMO these moves are going to get him fired. This team isn't being managed, it's being mortgaged...

Because he added a 1 mil a year cap hit to the rest of Calvin's contract? That's a bit extreme...

Where did you see that I said that?

You didn't. But that's all he added to Calvin bottom line numbers on his contract. So while you didn't say the words....it's certainly indicated since you posted that in this thread.

Edit, I stand corrected...not even a million a year. By Mayew readjusting cj's contract this year so we can afford either a tackle or an end, he is going to cost us a bench players worth of salary for the next 5 years...that low down son of a gun!

RJ - It's not the one move, it's the multiple restructures that are going to get him (and the team) into trouble. We've mortgaged our future so much, I can't see how this team can be successful in the next year or two...

wjb - you know darn well in 2015 the new TV contracts make this a complete non issue. Every single GM in the League, except for the GM's of teams that wouldn't spend anything on players until they had to, does the same thing. You hammering Mayhew for something every GM does just looks bad.

Just wanted to point that out. Teams have to restructure to get under the cap, not much else they can do. We'll end up paying for it in the end, but I'll gladly take it for a run in the playoffs.

March 19th, 2013, 8:55 am

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Defense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2822

Re: CJ restructured also.

Hystrix wrote:

inheritedlionsfan wrote:

My question is, who are we trying to sign with this move?

Our 2013 draft picks, maybe?

Word on the street is that we currently have $7.5 million in cap space. I think it was done so we have extra flexibility going into the rest of the offseason. We'll sign our picks, yes, but there will be signing bonuses in those deals so the cap hit won't be that significant. We have to sign Hanson and probably some other free agents (most likely after the draft). Depending on how the draft shakes out, I could also see us getting rid of Mike Thomas and Ron Bartell, which would free up some more space.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell